Community Sustainability in the Roaring Fork Valley: High Altitude
Permaculture and Greenhouse Design and Implementation Involving Youth
Participation and Planning
This community food sustainability program focuses on teaching food
growing to high school students in Glenwood Springs, CO at Yampah
Mountain High School (YMHS) and in Carbondale, CO at Roaring Fork High
School (RFHS). YMHS has a 23 foot diameter geodesic dome greenhouse with
a climate battery for maintaining year round growing conditions at a
high altitude and RFHS has a 42 foot diameter dome with a climate
battery. Both schools use their grow domes for science classes with the
high school students. The program has a number of opportunities for
public participation throughout the year, particularly at RFHS, as they
will be planting an orchard and permaculture garden around the dome this
fall. Sunday, October 10, 2010 will be a community orchard planting
day when anyone can participate in planting heirloom fruit trees at RFHS
in Carbondale.
These school food growing domes serve their schools primarily as
learning labs for the students and as sites for students to grow food to
be consumed at school. At RFHS, the food grown on site will go into the
school lunch as soon as there are sufficient quantities. Salads are
currently being served. The 1.5 acre farm planned for the Roaring Fork
High School grounds in spring of 2011 will serve the entire community
and region as an organic CSA farm school in the summers. Any adult will
be able to enroll in the farm school to learn organic farming and
permaculture techniques. Any local community member will be able to join
the CSA or buy produce at the Farmer's Market in summer 2011.
Because these domes are on school property it is necessary for any
visitors to check in at the front desk before touring or volunteering on
site.
